Get Clever with Canned Biscuits!
Flaky, buttery biscuits are the best, and I wouldn’t complain if I had to eat them every day. I’ve spent lots of time messing around with biscuits (from scratch and canned) and have been amazed at all the things you can do with them.
Turns out, lots of folks feel the same way. For instance, on a wonderful site, Tip Hero (www.tiphero.com), I found some terrific ideas for using canned biscuits! While they’re a pretty good substitute on their own, they’re a quick and clever way to make some favorite dishes easier. Just take a look at some of the things you can make using biscuits:
DOUGHNUTS AND MAPLE BARS: Open your biscuits and place them on a plate or cookie sheet. Insert your thumbs into the center of each biscuit and pull and shape until you have a nicely formed doughnut with a hole in the center. Put about 3 inches of vegetable oil in a skillet and heat. Once heated, place the donuts in the oil and let them brown on both sides. Finish your donuts with any toppings you’d like and enjoy!
If wanting maple bars instead, simply pull each biscuit into the shape of a rectangle then follow the procedure above.
GARLIC PARMESAN KNOTS: Preheat the oven to 400°F and line your baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a tube of buttermilk biscuits, roll each biscuit into thin cords about 12 inches in length. Twist each of the biscuit cords into a knot. Press the loose ends together to seal them. Toss each of these knots in olive oil, parmesan cheese, garlic powder, oregano, and parsely (all to taste, but 1/3 cup cheese and 1 teaspoon each of the herbs is a good start). When placing the knots on your baking sheet, leave at least 1 ½ inches between each roll. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until golden brown.
SAVORY MONKEY BREAD: Use the herb and cheese combination mentioned for the knots (above). Cut each biscuit in half and roll each half into balls. Then toss each ball in olive oil and roll them in the herb/cheese mix. Place all balls in a well-buttered tube pan and bake for 15 minutes at 350°F.
And you can create a sweet monkey bread by coating your biscuit balls in maple syrup and baking. Once the ring is baked and removed from the pan, just drizzle some maple icing over it all (made from a little milk, powdered sugar, and maple extract or flavoring). This makes a fast and delicious addition to any breakfast table.
Finally, how about a pot pie? This skillet chicken pot pie from I Wash, You Dry (www.iwashyoudry.com) gets comfort food on the table in 40 minutes with the help of nonperishables like chicken broth and long-lasting veggies like carrots and onion.
Plus adding biscuits on top means no pie crust required! And if you’re out of freshly shredded chicken, use canned instead.
FILLING
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 medium onion diced
1 cup sliced carrots
1 cup sliced celery
1 cup peas (fresh, frozen, or canned and drained)
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/4 cup flour
1 tablespoon fresh thyme OR 1 teaspoon dried
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup whole milk OR half 'n half or cream
2 to 3 cups cooked, shredded chicken or turkey
1 can buttermilk refrigerator biscuits
Directions:
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Turns out, lots of folks feel the same way. For instance, on a wonderful site, Tip Hero (www.tiphero.com), I found some terrific ideas for using canned biscuits! While they’re a pretty good substitute on their own, they’re a quick and clever way to make some favorite dishes easier. Just take a look at some of the things you can make using biscuits:
DOUGHNUTS AND MAPLE BARS: Open your biscuits and place them on a plate or cookie sheet. Insert your thumbs into the center of each biscuit and pull and shape until you have a nicely formed doughnut with a hole in the center. Put about 3 inches of vegetable oil in a skillet and heat. Once heated, place the donuts in the oil and let them brown on both sides. Finish your donuts with any toppings you’d like and enjoy!
If wanting maple bars instead, simply pull each biscuit into the shape of a rectangle then follow the procedure above.
GARLIC PARMESAN KNOTS: Preheat the oven to 400°F and line your baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a tube of buttermilk biscuits, roll each biscuit into thin cords about 12 inches in length. Twist each of the biscuit cords into a knot. Press the loose ends together to seal them. Toss each of these knots in olive oil, parmesan cheese, garlic powder, oregano, and parsely (all to taste, but 1/3 cup cheese and 1 teaspoon each of the herbs is a good start). When placing the knots on your baking sheet, leave at least 1 ½ inches between each roll. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until golden brown.
SAVORY MONKEY BREAD: Use the herb and cheese combination mentioned for the knots (above). Cut each biscuit in half and roll each half into balls. Then toss each ball in olive oil and roll them in the herb/cheese mix. Place all balls in a well-buttered tube pan and bake for 15 minutes at 350°F.
And you can create a sweet monkey bread by coating your biscuit balls in maple syrup and baking. Once the ring is baked and removed from the pan, just drizzle some maple icing over it all (made from a little milk, powdered sugar, and maple extract or flavoring). This makes a fast and delicious addition to any breakfast table.
Finally, how about a pot pie? This skillet chicken pot pie from I Wash, You Dry (www.iwashyoudry.com) gets comfort food on the table in 40 minutes with the help of nonperishables like chicken broth and long-lasting veggies like carrots and onion.
Plus adding biscuits on top means no pie crust required! And if you’re out of freshly shredded chicken, use canned instead.
Chicken Pot Pie Biscuit Skillet
Ingredients:
FILLING
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 medium onion diced
1 cup sliced carrots
1 cup sliced celery
1 cup peas (fresh, frozen, or canned and drained)
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/4 cup flour
1 tablespoon fresh thyme OR 1 teaspoon dried
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup whole milk OR half 'n half or cream
2 to 3 cups cooked, shredded chicken or turkey
1 can buttermilk refrigerator biscuits
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a 10" oven safe skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots and celery and cook until tender (about 5 minutes). Add in garlic and cook until fragrant.
3. Whisk in the flour, thyme, salt and black pepper, and cook about 2 minutes.
4. Gradually whisk in the chicken broth and milk, until the mixture is thickened, smooth and bubbly.
5. Add in the frozen peas and chicken and cook until heated through. Remove from heat and set aside.
6. Place biscuits over the chicken pot pie filling, leaving about an inch between biscuits.
Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until biscuits are lightly golden brown on top. Let sit for 5 minutes before enjoying!
NOTE: Chicken pot pie filling can be made up to 24 hours in advance. Top with biscuits just before baking.
2. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a 10" oven safe skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots and celery and cook until tender (about 5 minutes). Add in garlic and cook until fragrant.
3. Whisk in the flour, thyme, salt and black pepper, and cook about 2 minutes.
4. Gradually whisk in the chicken broth and milk, until the mixture is thickened, smooth and bubbly.
5. Add in the frozen peas and chicken and cook until heated through. Remove from heat and set aside.
6. Place biscuits over the chicken pot pie filling, leaving about an inch between biscuits.
Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until biscuits are lightly golden brown on top. Let sit for 5 minutes before enjoying!
NOTE: Chicken pot pie filling can be made up to 24 hours in advance. Top with biscuits just before baking.
Recipe formatted with the Cook'n Recipe Software from DVO Enterprises.
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Sources:
- www.tiphero.com
- www.iwashyoudry.com
Alice Osborne
Weekly Newsletter Contributor since 2006
Email the author! alice@dvo.com
